Holding Down the Fort

I have been trying to decide what units to use the hold objectives in or near my deployment zone. Since in 2 of the 3 games, you are likely to have an objective in your deployment zone you need some troop choice to hold it even if you are trying to push at the opponent hard. This unit needs to be able to hit things at range while being able to withstand assaults from flankers. Space Marines of course have very limited choices for this with only Bolter Marines and Scouts available as troops standard.

Tac Squad: You will need a good heavy weapon since this will be the only one in range for most of the battle if you are keeping the opponent busy. This means you need to have a 10 man squad for the 5th edition codex. You can combat squad it down but 5 marines without support will not last long against any real threat. You are also probably going to want a powerfist and meltagun to protect against tank shock and dreadnoughts. An option here is to get them a rhino to sit in. The heavy weapon can still fire and it buys the unit at least some protection from assault, fire, and lash. This gets you up to about 250 points for a unit just sitting on the objective taking 1 shot per turn at the enemy. That is not much value.

Scout Squad: Sniper scouts seem like a good choice for this role. They can all have weapons with range but cannot have a transport to hide in so lash can be a problem. The are also very weak in assault. You can give the Sergeant a fist but he will look pretty funny with a huge fist and long thin sniper rifle. I would probably get him a meltabomb just to help out with tank shock and dreadnoughts though. Scouts do allow for a few less members while holding a heavy weapon. I would probably do 7-8 snipers with cloaks, missile, and a meltabomb. The cost difference from the 10 man tac with rhino, fist, and lascannon, can get a dreadnought to hang with the scouts.